Monday, December 30, 2013

New Year’s Day (January 1):For most Dominicans, people tend to
celebrate in the homes of family and friends, usually involving a great meal
and spending time reflecting on the past year and their hopes for the coming
year, and of course music and dance. However, there are a lot of people who celebrate out at clubs and restaurants as well. Leading up to this holiday, people do a
deep cleaning of their homes.They
get rid of the old things no longer needed, and then clean and repair
everything to make new again.On
New Year’s Day, it’s considered bad luck to even pick up a broom – it’s feared
that you might brush away the good luck. Many Dominicans even believe in
opening up doors and windows at the stroke of midnight to let the evil spirits
out to make room for the good spirits.Some people hang 12 grapes to signify the 12 months.And like some other Latin countries,
the color of the clothes you wear into the new year signifies what you truly want:
green if you want more money, yellow if you want a better job or to work
better, red for a better future or for love, white for better health, etc. I
think I’m going to wear yellow and green this year.

Atira’s Birthday (January 6): I have found this holiday
listed in a couple of places, but there wasn’t any information on this
anywhere.I couldn’t find who Atira
was or why they celebrate Atira’s birthday.January 6 also happens to be Three Kings Day, so I don’t
know if there are any overlapping celebrations there.Please, if you know of any information on this, please let
me know.

Our Lady of Altagracia (January 21):Our Lady of Altagracia is one of the
patron saints of the Dominican Republic.The portrait of the Virgin Mary of the same name is held in the The
Basilica of Our Lady of Altagracia in the city of Salvaleón de Higüey.It used to be held on August 15, but
they moved this holiday to coincide with their victory over the French back in
1690.Every year, people will trek
to Salvaleón de Higüey to view the portrait and spend the day in prayer,
all-night church services, singing, dancing, and enjoying special meals.

Duarte’s Birthday (January 26): Juan Pablo Duarte
is considered the Founding Father of the Dominican Republic.He was one of the leaders who led the
fight for independence from Haitian control of their side of the island.After they officially declared
independence, he was also declared the first president.Even though his birthday is on January
26, the holiday is celebrated on the nearest Monday to this day, and it’s often
viewed as a day of national pride.

Independence Day (February 27): This marks the
Dominican Republic’s independence from Haiti.Dominican flags are hung and everything is decorated in red,
white, and blue.The president
usually gives a speech, and parades march through the streets.In the Dominican Republican, Carnival
celebrations pretty much last the entire month, so many of those celebrations
overlap with Independence Day celebrations as well.I’m guessing this would be a great time to visit.

Good Friday / Holy Week (varies): The celebrations
start at the beginning of Holy Week, or Santa Semana.Palm Sunday is celebrated with processions with palms. It’s
common to wash your feet in the morning and at night on Maundy Thursday.Good Friday is the day in which there
is the Procession of the Cross – some do it in the morning, others in the
afternoon – but it’s always in the same direction that Jesus carried the
cross.It’s also common that many
people do not eat meat on this day, but rather people fix a dish known as
“sweet beans” to share with their friends and family.Holy Saturday is spent without speaking, especially bad
words, and children can’t be physically punished (I know mine would definitely
take advantage of that).On
Easter, most people attend a special Easter mass, followed by fabulous,
elaborate meals shared with family and friends.

Labor Day (May 1):Although Labor Day is actually May 1, it is observed on the
nearest Monday.For most
Dominicans, it’s a long weekend of relaxing at the beach or doing some kind of
recreational activity.Like most
countries, it’s usually a time of thanking the worker and addressing labor
issues.The Dominican Republic
does have some problems with child labor in the agricultural industries and
certain factory work as well.Unemployment, underemployment, income inequality, energy inefficiencies,
migrant workers, and safety standards are all issues that plague Dominican
workers.

Corpus Christi (varies): This is the Catholic feast
day in honor of the last supper. This takes place 60 days after Easter, or the
Thursday after the 8th Sunday after Easter.Many people attend special services at
church in order to take the Eucharist, or Holy Communion. Many churches are
decorated with flowers in honor of this day.

Restoration Day (August 16):This is sort of the D.R.’s second
independence day.The first one in
February celebrates their independence from Haiti.This one celebrates the beginning of the war with Spain,
which led to their independence again.See, after they gained their independence from Haiti, they became part
of Spanish rule again, only to have to fight for their freedom again.The war began in 1863 and ended in
1865.The largest celebrations are
held in Santiago and in Santo Domingo, two of the oldest cities in the
Americas.Festivities include
parades, music, dancing, street performances, lots of local food and drink, and
military parades. It's also celebrated in the Dominican diaspora, especially in the United States, where they have the annual Dominican Day Parade held in New York City.

Our Lady of Las Mercedes (September 24): This is
the second patron saint of the Dominican Republic.Legend has it that when Christopher Columbus was trekking
around the island, the Lady of Mercedes appeared and scattered all of the native
Taíno people.Sounds a little
implausible to me, but I suppose it’s because it’s a legend. There are a couple
of churches erected in her name and people take special trips to visit these
churches on this day.

Constitution Day (November 6):This holiday marks the day that the
Constitution was signed in 1844.It was written up just after they gained independence from Haiti and was
based on the Constitution of the United States.The holiday is generally celebrated with a military parade,
an address by the president, and the playing of the national anthem.

Christmas Day (December 25):The Dominican Republic celebrates
Christmas almost as long as the US does.They generally start around December 1 and go until January 6, which is
also known as Three King’s Day.Many
people sing Christmas carols, eat special foods made during Christmas season,
decorate Christmas trees and exchange gifts with friends and family.A lot of weddings are held during this
season as well.Many people
display nativity scenes at the base of their Christmas tree as well as display special decorations made of wood and straw called charamicos. Christmas
Eve is when most families have their large special meal with expensive alcohols
and other specialty dishes and sweets.

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Last month, my husband and I got the rare opportunity
to go on a date night.That almost
never happens.And this one was
rare even at that because it was during the week. My husband had surprised me
on our anniversary (this year was our 9th), that he bought us
tickets to go see spoken word poetry. It was held at this small restaurant that had a unique menu:
part Middle Eastern/Mediterranean and part from the Dominican Republic.I knew I was close to doing Dominican
Republic, so that’s what I was ordering: yaroa (French fries topped with
shredded chicken, a ketchup-mayonnaise mix, and melted cheese – the perfect
drunk food, like a Dominican version of Canadian poutine) and accompanied by a
nice, cold El Presidente beer.It
was absolutely wonderful, and I knew I was getting into something good here.

The Dominican Republic takes up the eastern
two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, just east of Cuba
and Jamaica and just West of Puerto Rico.The island is mountainous; there are four mountain ranges on this side
of the island.It’s also dotted
with many lakes and lagoons, as well as offshore islands. However, one of these
lakes is listed as one of the world’s most polluted areas from a battery
recycling center that was closed down years ago.It’s also susceptible to hurricanes. The last major hurricane to hit
Hispaniola was Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

The original people living on the island were the
Taíno people.They were basically
hunter-gatherers who also fished and did some farming as well to supply their
villages with food.After
Christopher Columbus’ crew arrived, the Taíno people resisted against being
conquered by the Spanish.The
Spanish responded by giving them all smallpox, measles, and other communicable
European diseases they had never come in contact with and had no immunity to.Outside of intermarrying, the Taíno
population was, for the most part, extinct within 50 years of the Spanish
arrival on the island.And while
the Spanish had control of the eastern side of the island, French buccaneers
had set up camp on the other side (eventually to become Haiti).In 1805, Haitian troops came over and
invaded the Dominican side, which was the start of a huge rift that lasted
centuries.This occupation lasted
for years, and in 1844 Dominicans declared their independence from Haiti.There have been several short-lived
governments in its time, and in 1916 the US stepped in and took control of the
island for eight years, which they gained independence once again.Since then, there have been several
governmental changes, assassinations, and years of political unrest.

The capital city of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, or
simply known as Santo Domingo, lies on the southern shore of the island. Christopher
Columbus’ younger brother, Bartholomew Columbus founded the city in 1496 on the
mouth of the Ozama River.It’s
also home to the first cathedral, the first castle, the first monastery, and
the first fortress in Americas.From 1936-1961, the city’s name was changed to Ciudad Trujillo, after
the dictator at that time, Rafael Trujillo.After he was assassinated, it changed its name back.Santo Domingo is the country’s largest
city and center for government, but it’s also an important port and point of
shopping, museums, parks, universities, and sports events. The climate is tropical – average
highs in the mid-80s and the lows in the mid-60s.Infrastructure is fairly stable in the city for major
businesses, but they’re still susceptible to blackouts in certain areas using
antiquated grids.

In comparison to other countries in Central America
and the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic has the second-largest economy, just
after Cuba.Their economy is
largely based on the agricultural industry, followed by mining.However, energy shortages frequently
plague the country, one factor in rising costs of goods and services.Tourism is one of the key industries
that are driving their economic growth.Beachfront resorts are especially popular destinations, as well as the
growing trend in ecotourism.

Almost 70% of the population is Roman Catholic, and
about 18% is Evangelical Protestant.There are also small amount of other religions practiced here as well,
such as Judaism, Bahá’í, Buddhism, Mormons, and spiritualism.

Spanish is the dominant language of the Dominican
Republic, influenced by the strong Spanish roots in their history.It does have a lot of influence from
African words as well as the native Arawak language.English is commonly-taught foreign language in school,
although there is a small community on the island who speak a dialect of
English called Samaná English – this area was settled by free African Americans
escaping from the United States during the mid-1800s. It’s actually close to
other Caribbean Creole English varieties.Because of the number of Haitians that have crossed the border, Haitian
Creole is also spoken in many communities as well.

So, while it’s cold here in Indiana, and I’m a
little jealous of their weather, that’s ok. At least I get to listen to their
music and eat their food.I’m
excited about this – mostly because all of those Dominican Republic sites I
kept coming across when I was trying to research for Dominica are now
relevant.

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Well, it’s been one hell of a week. I apparently
showed up to work too many times and had a lot of time I had to use, so I had
three days off this week. However, I was sick the whole time, and then I had to
still do a million errands to do in order to get ready for Christmas this
coming week.So even though I lost
my voice and still don’t quite have it back, I’m surviving.And, I’m also skipping on some family
Christmas stuff today to save a long trip that I’ll be making again in a couple
of days anyway, make sure I’m well, and cook food from Dominica today.(Hey, to be fair, I’ve had this on the
schedule all year.)

Bananas and mangos and bread, oh my!

I really struggled to find a bread that others with
similar blogs haven’t already done. The trouble with searching for recipes from
Dominica is that I would often come up with recipes from the Dominican Republic
(which will be great in a few days, since I’m doing it next).But alas, I went with the banana and
mango bread that I kept seeing everywhere. On the other hand, I suppose it’s a
tried and tested recipe.I started
off with two sticks of butter and a cup and a half of brown sugar (I actually
only had enough for a cup, I used a ¼ cup of regular sugar to finish) and then
creamed everything together, adding three eggs into the mixture as well.In a separate bowl, I mixed mango puree
(I peeled it, cut it, and pureed it myself) with some mashed banana.And in a third bowl, I mixed flour,
salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together. Taking a little of the flour mixture and a
little of the banana-mango mixture, I poured a little of each alternately in
with the butter-sugar cream and mixed everything together until it was
consistent.This recipe said it
yielded two loaves, but when I poured it, it was only enough to go halfway up.And after I put it in the oven for
about 20 minutes, I realized I forgot to fold in the golden raisins and the
crushed walnuts.Oh, well.It’s a little late now.Regardless, it was wonderful – with a
nice crust on the outside, and smooth and moist on the inside (even though I
read that “moist” one of the worst words to use to describe food; not sure why,
but I’m using it anyway. So, there. You’re not the boss of me.).

Crab bake. Or something like that. I think I need to work with this to make it better.

The main meal for today is Caribbean-style
crab.This reminds me a little of
the crab dish I made when I did for Benin. So, this may be an
African-influenced dish.This
recipe calls to melt butter in a skillet and add in some scallions (or green
onions as I call them), garlic, chili peppers (I used a mild green chile), then
add curry powder (I used half turmeric and half chili powder since I was out of
cumin).Then it came time to add
the crab, fresh cilantro and fresh parsley, salt, pepper and crab liquid (I
used whatever liquid was in the cans the crab was in).After this cooks down a bit, I blended
in my breadcrumbs until it was all consistent. The original recipe suggested to
place this mixture on clam shells, but I just used ramekins and baked at 400º F
for about 10 minutes until it was browned.I bought crab in a can this time, which is not something I
normally do – and I’m not sure if I ever do that one again. It was almost like
it was ground, and I thought it might work well, but I think it would’ve tasted
better if it was more chunked (although the recipe called to shred it).And I think it calls for too much breadcrumbs;
it was a little dry, almost like crab-flavored stuffing.I think this recipe needs to be tweaked
a bit before it gets the Adams’ Family approval on this one. It left us a
little wanting for something more on this one.

Pigeon peas and rice. This was awesome. Truly.

Originally, I had found a recipe for pumpkin ginger
soup, but my husband would literally gag at just the mentioning of the name.
When I described the ingredients – which sounded really tasty to me – he would
practically go into dry heaves and convulsions. Because I didn’t want to list
this recipe as the reason for divorce or on the death certificate (as he was
thinking the case would be), I chose a different recipe at the last minute. I
noticed a lot of literature about Dominican cuisine include the Caribbean
favorite pigeon peas and rice. I found a recipe for stewed pigeon peas that was
also listed on the menu for a Dominican festival that I came across. This
particular one starts by caramelizing some brown sugar in olive oil (but I used
white since I used the last of my brown sugar in the bread).Then I added garlic and onions; a
minute later, I added fresh thyme, fresh cilantro, fresh chives, a can of
pigeon peas, and a little coconut milk.I cooked this down until everything was consistent and heated
thoroughly. I served this on top of some white rice.(The rice I used was actually leftovers from the other
night. I poured a little coconut milk on top of it and heated it up in the
microwave.It brought it back to
life surprising well.)I think
this was the best part of the meal (ok, it was tied with the bread), and what
made it great was the mix of the green chile that I added at the last minute
and the onions mixed with the coconut milk and sugar.I may have to do this one again.

Hey, two out of three ain't bad.

Christmas is in three days, and New Year’s is a
week beyond that, so that makes this is the last country I cook from in 2013. I
am still ever more amazed that I’ve made it this far on this project
(definitely makes this the longest I’ve ever stayed on a project that I’ve
started).I think I have a certain
following amongst a few friends and family.I’ve gotten some recognition for my work and have definitely
made a name for myself as a writer and foodie. Who knows what the future brings
us (besides new recipes and awesome childhood memories for my kids, and perhaps
a book deal at some point in time)?I’ve certainly learned a lot this year from all of the countries I have
done so far. And I certainly have added a lot of really cool to my
repertoire.But just to recap,
here’s what we did: Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia,
Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China,
Colombia, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia,
Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark,
Djibouti, and Dominica.And next
year will be even more awesome. Thanks for reading!

Saturday, December 21, 2013

If there’s one word that can describe music from
Dominica, that would be diverse. It draws its influence from many different
places: Africa, other Caribbean islands, French, British, the Americas, Latin
America. But not only did they borrow styles and genres from other countries,
it also took these styles and developed their own variations and sub-genres as
well. It can be quite complicated to list all of these different styles of
music performed on this small island.

During the 1950s and 1960s, music from Caribbean
nations, especially Trinidad, had a lot of influence on Dominican music. Genres
like calypso, samba, merengue, and funk were commonly performed. Steel bands
also emerged and were widely popular as well.A Haitian genre called kadans or compas also landed in Dominica,
and Dominican musicians used kadans and merged it with other styles, like
calypso.Groups like Exile One and
The Grammacks were heavily influenced by not only kadans, but also zouk and
soca as well.

During the 1990s, Dominicans developed a new style
called bouyon music.One band in
particular, WCK (Windward Caribbean Kulture) was instrumental in developing
this style, which is more or less a fusion of cadence-lypso and jing ping
styles to create bouyon music. It tends to rely on a drum machine with
keyboards, cowbell, and guitars.The language used is a mix of both English and Creole (also called
Kwéyòl) and is really influenced by dancehall and rap styles, making it more a
young people’s genre.

Starting in 1997, the World Creole Music Festival
is held every year in Dominica and features Creole music from all over the
Caribbean (including Louisiana’s zydeco).Many people see this festival is the only festival aimed at celebrating
indigenous music in Dominica, and some even extend that to the Eastern
Caribbean. One day, I’ll definitely have to come.

Carnival is also an important time for music and
dance.A style known as chanté mas
or lapo kabrit is a call-and-response type of music is commonly sung at
Carnival – the lead singer does this while dancing backwards.Dancing and dance contests are always a
part of Carnival and other festivals. Some of the folk dances of Dominica have
their roots from French and British dances (like the quadrille, lancers,
mazook, polka, cotillion, schottische, contredanse, la ronde), but some have
their roots in African dance, like the famous bélé dance.This dance is accompanied solely by
drumming, and the dancer dances in the middle of a circle. There are actually two
dancers, but only one dances at a time, except in transitions.

One musician I came across is reggae musician Nasio
Fontaine. I’m a huge fan of reggae, and I’ve been listening to his album Universal City.I absolutely love this album. I asked
for some iTunes gift cards for Christmas, and I hope I get at least one so I
can buy this album.I think his
style has a lot of African reggae sound to it, very easy to listen to.

Of course, I also listened to Exile One’s album Old School Sessions: Green / Vert as
well as The Grammacks’ album 1974-1976
Grammacks Collection. I think The Grammacks remind me of early Bob Marley. The Gaylords were another group who came
out of the 1960s who played calypso and steelpan styles from Trinidad.

Thursday, December 19, 2013

The earliest art in Dominica was created by the
native Carib (or Kalinago) peoples.Clay pottery was very common for many uses, and they were painted with
earth-based natural colors, mostly red, ochre (a yellowish-brown color), white,
brown, and black. These dyes were made from rocks, various plants/flowers,
charcoal, wood, etc.Annatto,
which is often used in food and gives it a dark reddish color, is not only used
in food, but also as body paint as well.

The capital of Dominica is Roseau, which is French
for “reeds.”It’s not hard to
believe that since the French tended to name cities after what they saw in a
place (which are reeds), then basket weaving would also be a craft that was
done in every family.Baskets are
versatile, and they certainly can make work easier.But they’re also an art form.

Carving is also a common art form in native art as
well and can be seen in stone, wood, and bone.Bas-relief carvings can be seen on the sides of large rocks,
which include drawings called petroglyphs.

By Honychurch -- I love this piece!

Today, modern forms of art include painting and
sculpture.Like other art of the
Caribbean and Central/South America, Dominican artists tend to use bright
colors in their work. Caribbean landscapes, people, and scenes of everyday life
are universal themes of Dominican paintings.

Mural paintings and public mural art are also seen
throughout the island. Nationalistic themes and scenes depicting a brighter
future and the best parts (or overcoming struggles from the past) can be seen
throughout the island.

Honychurch at work.

One artist that I came across who thankfully had
the most information on Dominican art that I found is Lennox Honychurch, a
Dominican artist. There is a lot of information on his website –you can check
out his beautiful paintings and murals. Check it out at www.lennoxhonychurch.com.

Honychurch also wrote a book called “The Dominica
Story” – a comprehensive history of the island. It was originally devised as a
mini-series for radio in the mid-1970s, but it’s been revised many times for
print.It’s available through
Amazon, but the sellers on there want a lot for it: the cheapest one I found was
$99.51.I might put in a request
for my library to purchase it since I see they don’t have it either.

Born in Roseau, Phyllis Shand Allfrey, can trace
her family back to landing in the West Indies in the 1660s.She’s most widely known for her novel The Orchid House (1953), she also worked
as a journalist and editor for two local newspapers.Allfrey was also involved in politics as well – founding the
Dominica Labour Party and was also elected to the West Indies legislature in
1958 (pre-independence days), making her the only women who was elected to
serve in this federation.

Jean Rhys is probably the best-known author to come
from Dominica, and her novel Wide
Sargasso Sea is probably her most acclaimed novel. I have this book listed
in my reading list but haven’t got to it yet. It’s written as a prequel to
Charlotte Brontë’s novel Jane Eyre
(which I absolutely loved!).Rhys
was born in Roseau to her Welsh father and her Creole mother (Creole at that
time was used to refer to white people who were born on the island, whether
they were mixed or not.) When she was 16, her parents sent her to stay with
family in England to be educated there.Her instructors were constantly frustrated that she would never speak
“proper English” and her accent often left her out on outside and
ridiculed.She was later “coached”
in writing short stories by her friend, English novelist Ford Madox Ford (whose
book The Good Soldier is on my
reading list as well.)

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

New Year’s
Day (January 1): To do a simple search on how people from Dominica celebrate
New Year’s Eve and/or New Year’s Day was not simple at all. For one, I kept
coming up with info for the Dominican Republic. And two, I found a lot of
tourist suggestions if you were going to go visit, but nothing New Year’s
specific.So, I’m going to go out
on a limb and assume that they celebrate it in similar ways that the rest of us
bring in the New Year.I did
read that many people start off the celebrations by going to church and then following
that with all of the typical celebrations, including a lot of dancing.

Carnival
Monday (varies, February/March):Dominica
celebrates Carnival (also known as Mas Domnik) for two days, the Monday and
Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.Most
of the largest celebrations are held in the capital city of Roseau.Dominicans did borrow some elements
from Martinique and Guadeloupe as well as Trinidad.Some of the main celebrations that are held year after year
include a special opening ceremonies, music competitions, parades, and beauty
contests.

Good Friday /
Easter / Easter Monday (varies, March/April):This is an important holiday weekend for many Dominican
Christians. Again, it was hard to find information that was relevant to
Dominica and their Easter traditions.Since it is an English-speaking country, I’m guessing that they also
have the tradition of eating hot cross buns, like other Caribbean
English-speaking islands do.Good
Friday is generally treated as a day of solemnity.People may attend special Good Friday services at their
church. Easter is far more joyous and usually starts off with church services,
followed by an elaborate luncheon of fish, bread, and a variety of fruits.
Easter egg hunting isn’t really done like it is in the US and parts of Europe
(probably because of the heat and spoilage), but many islands have a tradition
of kite flying on the beach.Easter Monday is usually spent as a day of relaxation, partaking in some
sort of recreation with family and friends.

Labour Day
(first Monday in May): Businesses and schools are closed on this day in honor
of Labour Day.It’s a day to
celebrate the worker and address labor issues.They do have a 23% unemployment rate and about a third of
the people work in agriculture, which can drastically be affected during
hurricane season. (The last major hurricane to his was Hurricane Dean in 2007.
Estimates say that about 95% of crops were destroyed, including about 99% of
the banana trees which is a major export. It’s expected to take several years
to regain what was lost.) Dominica
also has opened up to other countries and gave them a tax-free status in order for
them to bring their businesses to Dominica.

Whit Monday
(varies, May/June): Traditionally, this is the day that falls 50 days after
Easter in which Christians believe is the day that the Holy Spirit came to
Jesus’ disciples to give them the gift of tongues.On this day, many Christians will attend special church
services and special hymns are sung.

Emancipation
Day (first Monday in August):This
holiday is primarily celebrated in the former British colonies of the Caribbean
and celebrates the emancipation of the slaves. This year, there was a special
monument put up with a special concert ensuing afterwards.People usually take this time to
reflect upon Dominica’s history and give some sort of homage to their
forefathers.

Independence
Day (November 3):This is the day
that Dominicans celebrate their independence from Britain.It always includes a large parade and
plenty of parties and get-togethers.Everyone has a lot of good food and drink.Just prior to this, there are a couple of other national
pride holidays that are celebrated: Heritage Day and Creole Day – which include
the famous World Creole Music Fest. Ok, actually, almost every day from about
October 18 to November 5 is one huge festival.

Community
Service Day (November 4):This
holiday is part of the on-going national pride holidays and was established by
Dame Eugenia Charles administration in 1981.It’s designed as a day for volunteers to help clean up and
beautify the areas in and around their communities.The government gives each community a stipend to use for
supplies, such as garbage bags, disposal costs, flowers, etc.

Christmas Day
(December 25): Dominicans celebrate Christmas with a lot of the same type of
traditions that the Americans and British do. Christmas trees are seen up about
a month beforehand, and every building is decorated.However, people don’t really start buying gifts until
Christmas Eve (I started buying gifts here and there starting in October).While most Dominicans consider
themselves Christian, Christmas tends to be more of a family holiday rather
than a religious one.One common
theme of Christmas traditions is the meal – it’s almost always filled with
roasted pig, fruitcake, rum, desserts, and tons of other sweet and savory
treats.

Boxing Day
(December 26): This is more or less considered a second day of Christmas.Many people take this day to have a
picnic lunch on the beach or by the river.

Saturday, December 14, 2013

This makes
the second country that I’ve come across since doing this blog where I’ve
learned that I’ve been pronouncing it wrong my entire life.(The other was Benin.)In fact, I’m sure 99.7% of Americans
probably pronounce it wrong.What
I’ve always called “duh-MIN-i-kuh” is actually pronounced
“DOM-ee-NEE-kuh.”Partly to
confuse everyone, but mostly to try to keep it separate from the Dominican
Republic (which I get to next).I’m sure the effort was lost on Americans. We try to make anything
remotely close pronounced the same way – especially if you live in the South or
various places in the Midwest.(Which is why when we read MacBeth
in high school, the line “All hail MacBeth” came out as “Aww hell,
MacBeth.”)

The island of
Dominica lies in the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean islands, right between
the islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique.It’s sometimes referred to as the Windward Islands or the Leeward
Islands.Although this youngest
island in the Lesser Antilles is known for its mountains, rainforests, flora
and fauna, it’s also home to the second-largest hot spring called Boiling
Lake.The Sisserou Parrot is so
important to Dominicans that they put it in the middle of their flag.Morne Trois Pitons National Park was
recognized as a World Heritage Site, showing off Dominica’s natural volcanic
beauty.It’s also a great place to
do some whale watching – the coastal waters are teeming with sperm whales year
round, but is also home to a variety of other species of whales and
dolphins.

The island of
Dominica was named by Christopher Columbus, the name referring to the day of
the week that he spotted the island.Both the French and the English had their eyes on this island, and
France ending up counting it as part of the French Antilles; however, they did
little as far as settlement goes.During the early part of the 1700s, some of the white residents of
Martinique to the south migrated to Dominica. France decided to make Dominica a
coffee-producing territory.When
France lost out to Britain after the Seven Year’s War, the Treaty of Paris
granted the island to be handed over to British rule. Within 60 years of the
British taking over, they freed all the Africans that were there as slave labor
and became one of the few British colonies whose legislature was made up of a
majority of African members.It
became a member of various Caribbean island political organizations, and the
Commonwealth of Dominica was granted its independence from England in
1978.

The capital
is Roseau, which is the French word for “reed” – the French tended to give city
names based on what they saw there.With about 16,500 people – about the size of Frankfort, Indiana – it is
one of the main ports on the island, which is important for major exports
including bananas, grapefruit, oranges, bay oil, and cocoa.It’s located on the Roseau River and
has very little green space, although it does boast a Botanical Garden.The architecture is reminiscent of
French-influenced style mixed with modern designs.Even though the city is only about 80 blocks spread across
74 acres, I read that its city planning is irregular and makes it easy to get
lost, although I suppose that's a matter of opinion.As with most capital cities,
it not only houses the central government, but also universities and colleges,
sport facilities, theatres, restaurants, etc.

In recent
years, Dominica has suffered from an economic depression and general economic instability.It’s been trying to push forward a
tourism industry (and especially an eco-tourism industry) since in the past, it
has come in with the least amount of visitors in comparison to other Caribbean
island – half as many as even Haiti.The island is subject to hurricanes that come in off of the Atlantic,
which devastate the country’s infrastructure and its agricultural
industry.Most of its exports
include exotic tropical fruits, coffee, aloe vera, patchouli, cut flowers, and
soap.And actually, I read that if
I had a lot of money (like around $130,000 for my family), I could buy a second
passport to Dominica and bypass the seven years residence.I better start selling a lot of
books.

The official language
is English, which is spoken and understood by the vast majority of the
population, although French Creole, English Creole, and a Dominican Creole are
also utilized by many of the locals as well.

Because of
the European influence on its history, around 80% of Dominicans consider
themselves Catholic and have their own diocese in Roseau.They also have a small Muslim
population – the country’s first mosque was erected near Ross University in
Roseau.

Dominica has
one of the remaining populations of Caribs, the pre-Columbian native peoples who
inhabited these islands. Most of them were either killed off or fled to other
islands, including Dominica.There
are about 3000 Caribs living in a designated protected area on the eastern side
of the island. Dominica also has a large number of centenarians (people over
100 years old) in comparison with the total population.Students at Ross University are
studying to find out what exactly causes or impacts this phenomenon.(My guess would be a slower pace of
life and less chemicals in their food, perhaps?)

Check out shumwayfamilyblog.blogspot.com for a different perspective from Americans (I'm assuming) living in Dominica. I read a few posts; there are some great photos.

The island
has made headlines throughout the years.They elected their first female head of state, Mary Eugenia Charles, in
the early 1980s (something the US has yet to do).Parts of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies were filmed
in and around Dominica (especially scenes from the second and third films,
“Dead Man’s Chest” and “At World’s End”).Dominica also does have a large number of active volcanos; however,
there hasn’t been an eruption for centuries.I look through photos of places in Dominica, and then I look
outside my window as it’s snowing another couple of inches, and I think, “I’d
much rather be there than here. I wonder if my company would let me work remote
that far away.”That being said, I’m
excited to delve into Domi-NI-ca and its food, a country that I feel is calling my name.

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About Me

I'm really nerdy. I have several writing projects going on, and I also have a really long list of books I'm working my way through; I'm still adding books to it, so in essence, I'll never get through it. I'm an amateur food and culture blogger, an amateur baker and cook, an amateur musicologist, an amateur grammarian, an amateur know-it-all, and a professional dreamer. Follow me on Twitter: @KayoSmada.